June 22nd was my last day with BCFS. After resigning, I got busy selling off a bunch of stuff to get money together so I could move to Colorado and have some money to cover the bills while I search for a job. It was a sad process to see so many of the things I had attained leaving but I knew they were just things and it was for the greater good.
I contacted my family and discussed the options for my relocation to Colorado and the support I would need to get us restarted here. It was decided I would live with my parents while I looked for a job and a place to live.
Texas has been VERY good to me. I left Colorado as a really troubled young man with a pretty grim future and when I got to Texas, she was forgiving of my sins and offered me opportunities like I never thought possible. I got my life together, attained a career in Law Enforcement, met and married the most amazing woman in the world with three beautiful girls that taught me so much about myself. Texas offered me an opportunity to live in one of the most beautiful places in that State. An opportunity for professional advancement through an education all the way to my Masters. Struggles, hardships, magical times, breathtaking experiences, good friends, a training that helped me re find myself and grow even bigger.....All in all, Texas has been VERY good to me. There will always be a place in my heart in soul that IS Texas!
Donna and I loaded up all of the stuff that wasn't "essential" to our living there and on July 27th, 2012, we pulled out of Kerrville and made our way to Colorado. It was 103 degrees when we left Texas.
Donna and I have come to the conclusion that we just don't like the heat in Texas anymore, Kerrville was not offering us the professional opportunities we wanted and the home we have dreamed of was clearly starting to become less of a reality. Our vision is to get to Colorado and live IN the mountains.
As we pulled into Colorado Springs after a VERY long roadtrip to get here, it became clear that the front range of Colorado is NOT where we want to live and the thoughts of going out East of Colorado Springs was not going to be a suitable option for us either... Its the mountains that are calling us here, and it will be the mountains where we live.
When we got to the springs, I immediately started to put in for jobs and it wasn't long before I realized I had 70+ resumes out. I had a good bite on a job in Boulder as an Animal Control Officer, and after reading the description, it was clear this would be a job I could enjoy. 10 hour shifts, 4 days a week, and able to live in Boulder.
I remember Boulder from when I lived here and its where Colorado University is and its a really very laid back college town. I wanted Donna to go see it so once we got here, we hooked up mom and dads RV and headed to Boulder to look around.
We drove into Boulder and realized it is still a front range town and not really what our vision is of where we want to live. We decided to take a trip through the mountains and stay in Idaho Springs which is a small mountain time out of Denver. As we made our way out of Boulder, it was about 5 minutes and we realized that the beauty we are looking for in Colorado is a VERY easy commute from Boulder.
We drove up a pass that took us West, following Boulder creek and every turn was leaving us breathless...It was absolutely beautiful! 25 minutes out of boulder, we reached the top of this pass and it opened up to a good size lake and a little village town that surrounded it. You could see the peaks of Estes Park and we were surrounded by mountains....THIS was it!! We could do this!!
We kept driving and we quickly found a State Park and pulled in to drop the rig and go drive around a little. Just a few minutes from the park was a little restaurant and a drive through liquor store that is just out in the middle of nowhere. We went down to this place (called "The Last Shot Saloon" ) and went in to have dinner and a drink. We realized the place had a menu fro dogs and was pet friendly so we even got to bring our old hound dog Dosie in with us.
They had a porch where you could sit outside and it was a crystal clear day, sun shining and about 75 degrees outside. The porch overlooked an aspen groves valley and there were two Golden Eagles circling the aspen grove, swooping down to the treetops....This little place was a tiny piece of Heaven. We ate, Dosie ate and we just took in the thin Rocky Mountain air. It was GREAT!!
We stayed at the park and woke up the next day to head back to the Springs. We went through Blackhawk Colorado and were really taken with that town as well. So now we REALLY had it in our head that it HAD to be the mountains where we finally settle in. Man, it is just so beautiful here in the Mountains.
So we had it lined out that this was the plan, it was great that Donna came up with me to get a feel for it and see these areas so she knows this is the place for us. We even had 90 degree weather in Colorado while she was here, but it is truly a different heat than where we are in Texas. It was good for us both to take the time to drive around and see the different places.
Sadly, Donna stayed for a week and left the following Saturday morning to go back to our house in Kerrville and I got busy applying for jobs and calling people and needed to start focusing on getting things rolling here.
On August 9th, I went and tested for the City of Boulder for an animal control officer. It was a written and physical agility test. I was told there were 125 applicants for the position and after the tests, it was weeded down to about 50 people, I made the cut BARELY. I had to do a 1/3 mile run and have no acclimated to the altitude here and seriously about killed myself on that run...That hurt worse than any run I have ever done... Even during PT in the police academy.
I feel really good because I really don't think they are going to find someone as qualified and has the education I do to fill the position. I meet ALL of the requirements and HAVE actual animal control experience from my time with the Sheriffs Department. I move on this next week (15th or 16th) to the next step which is the oral board interviews and I am preparing myself to defend my experience now. I am sure I will continue to move on from that step....Then the background and this polygraph like test that is some new voice recognition system....In all reality, i am going to really like this job!
Its been tough being away from Donna but luckily we are both busy and although missing each other and hating the time apart, we KNOW we are on the right path to make this happen for us the way we want it to happen.
The good thing is we are two weeks in and although clouded by emotion from time to time, we are still on track with our plan and moving forward in the way we declared. The plan is working and in any plan to make changes in your life, there is some suffering....But the suffering is what makes the reward so sweet....And sweet things are on our way...I JUST KNOW IT!!
I will tell you this, as in many of my other posts, I am totally in a "trust the process mode" with a definite OWTFDWIT attitude!! THIS WILL happen on our terms and exactly like we want it to....The waiting is always the hardest part!!
